Anyone know how much 26 or 27" tires will add to the ground clearance on a SRA Rancher or Rubicon? Facory ground clearance between 6.5 and 7.5 inches. Is it possible to add 2"? What size tires can fit on the 2008 rancher 4x4 and a 2001 Rubicon?

 

26" on rancher, 27" rubi (without lift and good travel space) iv never had a problem with axel ground clerance. you will hang up on the engine cradel or front A-arms before the rearaxle

 

it adds a 0.5 inches for every inch bigger. So if you had 25 inch tires and put 27 inch tires, you would add an inch of ground clearance.

 

Turfguy's got it right. For every inch of tire you add, you gain a half inch of clearance.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: 12guns

Anyone know how much 26 or 27" tires will add to the ground clearance on a SRA Rancher or Rubicon? Facory ground clearance between 6.5 and 7.5 inches. Is it possible to add 2"? What size tires can fit on the 2008 rancher 4x4 and a 2001 Rubicon?</end quote></div>


The Rancher is a sweet little trail quad. My experience has been that big tires just ruin it great handling, and turn it into a clunker.

All I know, is that I ride with guys on their top of the line big bore IRS machines, and none of them can go anywhere I can't! In fact, my Rancher is way more stable, so I can go places off-camber where they fear to tread.....

 

Ground clearance is an issue in some of the places I ride.

A lot of times you can slide the belly over a rock, but then get caught on the rear axle. The Rincon does better in those situations, being IRS, but I have banged up some areas on it too. A smooth aftermarket skidplate I think would help a bunch. I'm also going to pound out the stock axle bash plate on the Foreman and weld on a bit of plate to protect it better, and hopefully give it a shape where it might slide over things better.

I might stay with 25's because I like the way my quads handle, and the boulder strewn sections aren't a big part of my riding. Maybe I'll go to 26's, but you only gain 1/2". On the other hand, aftermarket radials seem to ride better and improve handling. I think the stiffer sidewall construction seems to reduce the tendency of the tire to kind of roll under when cornering.

 

I've heard very good things about the ITP Mudlite XTRs. Better handling than stock tires, really good in mud, comfortable ride along trails. I too am thinking of going up to a 26 rather than my stock 25s when the time comes to replace them.

 

My GF's dad bought a set of 25" Bighorns, and we used my bead breaker to mount them up on a Rubicon. Though they say they are 25", they look to be at least 1" taller than the stock 25" dunlops.

They handle well. He actually bought a second set that he's going to put on his AC 650 when the stockers wear out.

XTR's I would imagine do better in sticky mud, and probably snow.

Mainly they went with the Bighorns for their reputation for wearing like iron and smooth ride on hard surfaces. They snow bird in Arizona where the riding is mostly jagged edge rock surface, which trashes a set of stock tires over the few winter months they stay down there.